Riesling Onion Soup With Herbed Croutons

DH and I made this yummy onion soup for lunch yesterday and we really enjoyed it. The recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma. The recipe indicates to be sure to use a dry Riesling in this recipe as a sweet one will be too sweet for this soup (Late Harvest are the sweetest of the Rieslings). While the recipe says to use a reduced-sodium chicken stock, I thought that the soup needed more salt when I used 4 cups unsalted broth and 2 cups regular broth.

Made this to go with Recipe #378743 and let me tell you, this is one GREAT onion soup! Unfortunately, I had to use dried herbs for the croutons. Our local market doesn't believe in getting in fresh herbs, except parsley & cilantro! But really, the croutons were still excellent. The leeks gave a very upbeat flavor to the regular onions. Thnx for sharing your recipe, Jenny! Made for the Voracious Vagabonds for ZWT6.

In a large, wide saucepan or soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, leeks, garlic and tarragon and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes more. Pour in the wine, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Pour in the stock, return to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 45 minutes (the soup can be made up to this point up to 24 hours in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat gently before continuing). Season with salt and pepper.

To make the herbed croutons, preheat an oven to 300°F.

Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, butter and herbs. Lightly coat each bread slice on both sides with the oil mixture. Toast the bread in the oven, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. (The croutons can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored, tightly covered, at room temperature).

Preheat a broiler.

Arrange individual ovenproof bowls on a baking sheet and ladle the soup in the bowls. Top each serving with 2 or 3 croutons and an equal amount of cheese. Place the baking sheet under the broiler 7 inches from the heat source and broil until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Remove from the broiler and serve immediately.